Qatar, Iran discuss Gaza cease-fire efforts, regional tensions

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) — Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Monday discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza, along with tensions across the region.

According to a statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the Gulf nation's foreign minister, arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran and met with his counterpart.

During their meeting, they discussed "the latest developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, the latest developments in mediation efforts for a cease-fire deal and tensions in the Middle East."

The statement added that both top diplomats affirmed "the importance of ending the (Israeli) occupation forces' crimes against Palestinians, the war on the Gaza Strip, and the terrorism practiced by settlers in the West Bank, to spare the region the risks of escalation."

On Sunday, Israeli warplanes launched over 40 airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the most severe attack since cross-border attacks between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah began on Oct. 8, 2023. The Israeli army claimed that the attacks aimed to prevent a rocket barrage by Hezbollah.

The Lebanese group, for its part, said that it had launched hundreds of rockets and missiles deep into Israel as the "first phase" of its response to last month's assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut.

Iran had also vowed to retaliate against Israel over assassinating the Palestinian group Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which killed over 40,400 Palestinians since last Oct. 7 after a Hamas attack. The military campaign has reduced much of the territory to rubble and left most of the people homeless, hungry and prone to disease.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar